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LOOKING FORWARD

Uefa postpones key May 27 meeting over Euro 2020 hosting issues

At the weekend Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin appeared to suggest the number of host cities might be reduced.

In Summary

• The championship has traditionally been hosted by one country or with co-hosts, but Uefa opted for a multi-city approach for the latest edition.

•Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and St Petersburg make up the 12 cities for the showpiece that was originally supposed to take place from June 12 to July 12.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin during a press conference Image: /REUTERS

Uefa has postponed an Executive Committee meeting scheduled for May 27 because of some unresolved issues regarding the venues for next year’s re-scheduled Euro 2020 tournament.

In a statement, European soccer’s governing body said the meeting would now take place on June 17. The Euro 2020 championship, due to be staged in 12 cities across the continent, was postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic that shut down soccer in March.

Uefa said the change to the meeting was caused by “the existence of some remaining open points regarding a small number of proposed venues for the rearranged Uefa Eero 2020 next year”.

At the weekend Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin appeared to suggest the number of host cities might be reduced.

“We’ve had conversations with nine cities and everything is set,” Ceferin said in an interview with beIN Sports. “With three cities, we have some issues. So we will discuss further. In principle, we will do it in 12 cities but if not, we are ready to do it in 10, nine or eight.”

The championship has traditionally been hosted by one country or with co-hosts, but Uefa opted for a multi-city approach for the latest edition.

Amsterdam, Baku, Bilbao, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome and St Petersburg make up the 12 cities for the showpiece that was originally supposed to take place from June 12 to July 12.

Glasgow on Monday reconfirmed its position as a host in the light of media speculation.

“The formal confirmation letter was sent on 14 May to the Uefa Eero 2020 Operations Director, Sharon Burkhalter-Lau, together with all the required accompanying documentation,” said a spokesperson for the Local Organising Structure (LOS) Glasgow.

“This followed extensive discussions with all relevant stakeholders and partners involved in hosting the tournament in Glasgow since the March 17 postponement decision.

“We look forward to Hampden Park, Glasgow and Scotland as a whole playing a key role as co-hosts of a memorable Uefa Euro 2020 next year.”

Uefa’s May 27 meeting would have been two days after an initial deadline for European soccer league’s to outline their plans to complete seasons.

That deadline has now been extended with Uefa acknowledging that detailed plans might still not be fully available.

However, in a statement last week, it said: “Uefa would nevertheless expect to at least receive some indications as to the potential way forward envisaged by national associations and leagues by that date.”

Europe’s top soccer leagues were all suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the Bundesliga resumed at the weekend while the Spanish, English and Italian top flights are also hoping to complete their seasons.

The remainder of the French and Dutch top-flight campaigns have been aborted.

Uefa said at the weekend it plans to finish the 2019-20 season by August, including the Champions League and Europa League campaigns.

“We have an idea but we have to wait for the executive committee of Uefa to confirm the dates,” Ceferin said. “I can say that the European season will be finished, if everything is as it is now, in August.”